vidéo

Forms

vidéo f (plural vidéos); as an adjective invariable, or with plural vidéos^[1][2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from English video, first as a masculine noun meaning “television” (1949).^[3][4][5][2] The English word, used as an adjective from 1935 and as a noun from 1937, was formed on Latin videō (“I see”), the first person singular present of the Latin verb “to see”, after audio.^[3][6][4]

The change of gender is probably due to the shortening of masculine phrases with signal and feminine ones with bande¹, and of vidéofréquence.^[3][4] Canadian French also uses it as a masculine noun.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In 1949 the Larousse mensuel speaks of programmes de video in the United States, meaning television.^[3]

Semantic evolution

From about 1960 the feminine noun, shortened from vidéofréquence (1942), named a modulation frequency carrying an image signal and the signal itself.^[4] The adjective, recorded from 1958 in technical phrases, applied from 1964 to the recording and retransmission of pictures and sounds on a screen.^[3][4]

At Radio-Canada in 1959 the noun appeared as a shortening of vidéo-magnétique.^[3] From 1975 it was used as a shortening of vidéophonie (1972), the technique of recording image and sound on a magnetic medium, and by metonymy for the equipment.^[4] It then named a film or programme made by this technique, a video.^[3][1] It also became a first element in compounds such as vidéothèque (1970) and vidéocassette (1971).^[4]

Timeline

• 1935 – English video is used as an adjective.^[6][3]
• 1949 – French video, masculine, means “television”.^[3][4]
• 1958 – Signaux vidéo and bande vidéo are recorded.^[3]
• 1959 – The noun is used as a shortening of vidéo-magnétique.^[3]
• c. 1960 – The noun becomes feminine.^[4][5]
• 1964 – The adjective is applied to image and sound recording.^[4]
• 1972 – Vidéo libre is recorded in Quebec.^[3]
• 1975 – It is used as a shortening of vidéophonie.^[4]
• 1982 – vidéaste is coined.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. The techniques for recording, processing, transmitting and playing back television images on a screen.^[3][2]
2. Equipment using these techniques.^[3]
3. A video, a film or programme made with these techniques.^[3][1]

Adjective

1. Relating to the recording of images and sounds and their playback on a screen: caméra vidéo, cassette vidéo, jeu vidéo.^[2][7]
2. Signal vidéo: the signal carrying the elements used to transmit an image.^[2][7]

Word family

• vidéaste

Related words

• Latin videō
• English video

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse